In case you haven’t heard, Festival South is winding down this year. If you’re a lover of art— be it visual, literary, or performance, you’ll want to plan to attend next year. It kicked off on May 1, 2024. The final performances will be July 27. This superb, multi week festival is the art lovers’ dream.
What is Festival South?
Festival South, held annually, is the largest project of the HCA (Hattiesburg Concert Association). It is held throughout the course of several weeks and is filled with various artistic disciplines and elements. Other focus areas of this event include Festival Music, Festival Art, Festival Dance, Festival Z, Festival Speaks, Festival South Film Expo (FSFX), Festival South Youth Ambassadors, Festival 5k, and Festival Shares. In addition to these, there are other many artist presentations during Festival South that fall under some of these subcategories. Each event is held at a different location. Besides the events held in various locations in Hattiesburg, there have been events held in Sumrall and Purvis.
Recent Performances
Recently, Crescent City hosted “Life is a Highway” which featured tenor Brett Barnes. Attendees enjoyed a musical road trip through the world of jazz, the back roads of America’s favorite genre– country, and onto the stage of Broadway. Another recent event, “American Bombshells – A Patriotic Celebration” was held at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Quinlan-Hammond Hall of Honor. This event featured phenomenal vocalists Kassidy Chandler and Rachel Claire Stevens along with talented pianist Kay Guiles who brought the spirit of patriotism to life by song.
If you missed these events, you are not quite out of luck to witness an exceptional act. The award show will be on July 27, 2024 starting at 6:30 PM and ending at 8:30 PM at Lake Terrace Convention Center. Additionally, there will be a performance from Mac McAnally in Gulfport, MS at the Immersive Media Performance Center, from 7:30 – 8:30 PM. Tickets are priced at 50.00 – 80.00. You can find more details about tickets here.
Benefit to the Community and Economic Impact
Hattiesburg is a city with booming infrastructure. The community is committed to providing a space where the arts are celebrated. Hattiesburg’s commitment to the arts has helped with economic development. Festival South has not only helped connect people via the arts— it has helped boost the city’s economy tremendously.
Want to Showcase Your Artistic Gifts?
Although this year’s festival is approaching the end, there’s always next year. If you’re an artist, you can sign up to be a performer here. Festival South is the perfect opportunity for you to meet other artists and to share your artistic expression and expertise. Whether you’re a spoken word artist, painter, dancer, or singer, you are welcome to join one of Mississippi’s most popular festivals to celebrate your art and the art of others within the community. Next year’s fest will start May 31, 2025 and end on June 21, 2025. Don’t forget to save the date!
*Photos are courtesy of Festival South’s FB page.
